Visible card-record file



May 13 1924.

- J. w. WIRT VISIBLE CARD RECORD FILE Filed June 2 1922 Patented May 13, 1924.

UNETED STATES JOE W. WIRT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VISIBLE CARD-RECORD FILE.

Application filed June 2,

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OE W. XVIRT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, Cook County, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Visible Gard-Record Files, of which the following is a specification.

v The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved visible card-record file wherein the cards are supported in a nearly vertical position from which the cards below a certain card are swingable into a nearly horizontal position to expose to view the opposed faces of adjacent cards; to provide an improved frame construction for supporting said cards, which is adapted to be expanded or contracted to accommodate varying numbers of cards; to provide improved means on said frame for supporting it at any desired angle and maintaining that angle constant regardless of the number of cards that may be thereafter added; and to provide improved bufier'means for preventing the frame from marring or scratching the furniture. v i

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an improved visible card-record'file constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional elevation'of the same showing the file in its open position.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the record cards. I

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary rear view of the frame taken from the right of Fig. 2 as viewed on the plane of the line 4Ct.

A card-record file constructed in accordance with this invention embodies a binder frame, similar in its construction to the wellknown extensible-post ledge1-binder,;upon which a plurality of separate cards are hingedly supported, and which is equipped with a supporting leg adapted to hold the frame at a predetermined and, if desired, constant angle, the file being opened at any'point by swinging the cards below a certain one from their normalnearly vertical position to a nearly horizontal position, whereby the opposed faces of adjacent cards are both exposed to view. a e

In the specific embodiment herein shown, the frame comprises a front crossbar 1 upon which is supported a pair of posts 2 connected together near theirrear ends by ed at a predetermined angle to the frame 1922. Serial No. 565,313.

a rear cross bar 3, plates 4 and 5 being hingedly supported at the front and rear, respectively, of the frame, so as to provide supports for the cards 6 in their open and closed positions, the frame being supported in its angular position by means of afoot or leg 7. j

The front cross bar 1 comprises simply a metal strip to which the first sections 8 of the posts 2 are permanently secured and spaced apart a predetermined distance, depending upon the size of the file. The other sections of the posts 2 are of the well-known form which is used in making up the extensible-post ledgerbinder, the number used depending upon how many cards are to be supported in a single binder.

The rear crossbar 3is likewise a simple metal plate having holes punched therein so that the plate will suitably fit upon the posts 2. Associated with the plate 3 is a clamping bar 9, which is adapted to grip the posts 2 and clamp the cards 6 betweenthe front and rear plates 1 and 3. a

The plates 4 and 5 are herein shown hingedly secured to the upper edges of the plates 1 and 3, the front plate lbeing so arranged that when the front edge thereof rests upon the table or other support, it liesin aplane substantially parallel with the plane of the frame and thereby provides a support for the cards when theyare swung to a nearly horizontal position. The plate 5 is supportbymeans of a pair of stops 1O rigidly secured to the cross bar 3 and adapted toengage the plate 5 as shown in Fig. 2. This plate thus provides a supportfor the cards in their normal nearly vertical positions.

The cards 6 may be of any suitable form and each is connected by a fabric hinge 11 to a binder strip 19., which binder strip is provided with the usual recesses 13, which permit the cards to be readily placed upon or removed from the postsil An indexing tab 14; is suitably arranged on the upper edge of the card. f I he foot, or leg, 7 comprises a metal plate, the upper part of which is provided with one ormore pairs of apertures'15 suitably spaced so as to fit over the posts 2. This plate is arranged upon the frame interme 'diate the bars land 3 at such a point that it will support the frame in the desired angle. By having the leg separatefrom the rest of the frame it not only can be placed upon the frame so as to lock the frame at any desired angle, but that angle may be maintained constant regardless of how many cards may be added to the frame rearwardly of the card. The advantage of this is that regardless of how many cards there are on the frame, or how much the frame may be extended, the angle of the cards either in their open or closed positions is always the same. y

In order to prevent the frame from scratching or marring the furniture upon which it may be used, disk-shaped rubber buffers 16 are secured to the front cross bar buffers extend below the edges of the respective cross bar and leg and'provide feet for the frame. These buffers are rotatably .secured in place by means of suitable nuts and bolts 17, so that as portions of the periphcries of the buffers wear off, the buffers may be gradually rotated to bring another portion of the periphery into position to take the wear.

A visible card-record file constructed in accordance with this invention is used in substantially the following manner:

Normally, when not in immediate use, the cards 6 are all swung into their nearly Ver tical positions, as shown in. Fig. 1, so that the tabs 14 only are exposed to view. hen

the file is to be consulted, either for making a record or taking a record therefrom, the cards in front of the one deslred are swung downwardly into a nearly horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2. This exposes to view the front face of the foremost upright card and the back face of the topmost horizontal card. When the desired record has been made or obtained, the cards are again swung back into their nearly vertical positions.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A visible card-record file comprising an expansible frame, means for binding hinged cards in said frame, a leg adjustable along said frame and adapted to support said frame at a desired angle, and means on the rear of said frame adapted to hold said cards in a nearly vertical position from which they may be swung to a nearly hori zontal position.

2. A visible card-record file comprising anexpansible frame, means for binding hinged cards in said frame, a leg separate from said frame, adapted to be attached thereto at any point intermediate the ends thereof and support said frame at a desired angle,

3. A visible card-record file comprising an expansible frame made up of a front crossbar, a pair of posts secured to said front bar and made in sections whereby the posts may be lengthened or. shortened, and a rear cross bar connecting said posts, a plurality of hingedcards clamped to said posts between said bars, a leg separate from said frame, connected to said posts at a point intermediate said bars, supporting said frame at a desired angle, and means on the rear of said frame adapted to hold said cards in a nearly vertical position from which they may be swung to a nearly horizontal position.

l-. A visible card-record file comprising an expansible frame made up of a front cross bar, a pair of posts secured to said front bar and made in sections whereby the posts may be lengthened or shortened, and a rear cross bar connecting said posts, a plurality of hinged cards mounted on said posts between said bars, a leg separate from said frame, connected to said posts at a point intermediate said bars, supporting said frame at a desired angle, a plate hingedly connected to the front of said frame and adapted to be swung down to support said cards in nearly horizontal positions, a second'plate hingedly connected at the rear of said frame, and a stop on the rear of said frame adapted to support said second plate so as to hold said cards in nearly vertical positions.

5. A visible card-record file comprising a front cross-bar, a pair of posts secured to said bar, and made in sections whereby said posts may be lengthened or shortened, a rear cross bar connecting said posts, a plurality of cards each hingedly connected to a binder strip, said binder strips being adapted to be supportedon said posts and clamped between said cross bars so as to support said cards, a leg adapted to be attached to said posts intermediate said bars and hold said frame at a predetermined angle, means on the rear of said frame adapted to hold said cards in a nearly vertical position from which they may be swung to a nearly horizontal position.

6. A visible card-record tile comprising an expansible frame made up of a front crossbar, a pair of posts secured to said front bar and made in sections whereby the posts may be lengthened or shortened, and a rear cross bar connecting said posts, a plurality of hinged cards mounted on said posts between said bars, a leg separate from said frame connected to said posts at a point intermediate said bars, supporting said frame at a'desired angle, means on the rear of said frame adapted to hold said cards in a nearly vertical position from which they may be swung to a nearly horizontal position, and disk-shaped friction buffers rotatably mounted at the front of said frame and on said leg with a portion of the peripheries thereof extending below said frame grid leg to provide supporting feet for said 7. A visible card-record file comprising a frame, means for binding cards in said frame, a leg adapted to support said frame at a desired angle, means on the rear of said frame adapted to hold said cards in a. nearly vertical position from which they may be swung to a nearly horizontal position, and disk-shaped friction buffers rotatably secured to the front of said frame and to said leg with a portionof the peripheries thereof extending below said frame and leg to provide supporting feet for said file.

Signed at Chicago this 31 day of May, 1922.

JOE W. WIRT. 

